CENTERVILLE —
Milo "Artis" Main, 90, passed away Oct. 10, 2012 in San Diego, Calif.
Artis, as he was known by his family, was born Jan. 28, 1922 in Appanoose County, the son of Elingson "Elec" and Basha "May" (Foster) Main.
Artis' mother, May, passed away a few hours after he was born. He spent the first few years of his boyhood with his maternal grandparents, Milo and Myrtle (Tisue) Foster. When he was four years old, he joined the Elec and Mabel (Plants) Main family, which included his older brother and sister, Richard and June and two additional brothers, Jimmy and Gene. Artis grew to be a young man in the farming communities of the northern part of Appanoose County. He attended the Moravia High School, graduating in May of 1938.
On June 27, 1939, Artis and his brother, Richard, reported to Des Moines and signed up for the Navy. For the next 20 years, Artis served in the United States Navy. On Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked, Artis was aboard the USS Allen (DD66) which was tied up on Ford Island in the middle of Pearl Harbor. From his ship, Artis watched helplessly as the USS Arizona blew up and the USS West Virginia was hit by torpedoes. He later helped raise the USS Oglala and the USS West Virginia, both of which were sunk Dec. 7, 1941. Artis quickly became a specialist in the working and maintenance of the ship's diesel engines. He traveled in many parts of the world before ending his Navy career as a Chief Warrant Officer 3. Following his Navy discharge, Artis worked as a car mechanic.
On Sept. 23, 1940, Artis and Fraley Marjorie Frier, were married in the Navy Chapel in Chicago, Ill. Together, they had two sons, Kenneth Artis and Frederick Earl Main. After being transferred by the Navy to several different states, Artis and Fraley and their sons settled in El Cajon, Calif. They lived in the same home there for over 50 years. Fraley passed away Dec. 28, 2008.
Besides his mother and wife, Artis was preceded in death by his father and his second "mother" Elec and Mabel Main; a sister, Hannah "June" Main and three brothers, Richard, Gene and Benny Main. He is survived by his two sons, Kenneth (Ann) Main of Henderson, Nev. and Frederick Main of El Cajon, Calif.; four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, his 96 year old aunt Josephine (Foster) Lindley, three sisters, Annie (Jim) Reihsen of West Des Moines, Monna (Ben) Tarbell of Altoona, and Betty (Jerry) Marshall of Numa and four brothers, Jimmy Main and Marion (Bonnie) Main of rural Moravia, Jerry Main of Radcliff and Bill (Irene) Main of rural Albia, and many nieces and nephews.
A military ceremony was held Nov. 12 at the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at Point loma - San Diego, Calif. There, his remains will rest beside those of his wife, Fraley.
Artis enjoyed reading about history and current events. He loved to tell about his Navy experiences, which he called his "Sea Stories." He loved his family and his country and will be missed by all that knew him.
Obituaries
Related Photos
-
Milo ‘Artis’ Main Submitted photo
Share your thoughts!
The Daily Iowegian welcomes your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.
November 13, 2012
Milo ‘Artis’ Main
- Obituaries
-
- Dale Bennett Dale Bennett, 58, of Centerville, Iowa passed away Sunday, May 12, 2013 at his residence. At his family's request, Dale has been cremated. A memorial service will be held at a later date. A memorial has been established to the Dale Bennett Memorial F
- Brian 'B.J.' Davis Brian "B.J." Davis, 51, of Centerville passed away Monday, May 13, 2013 at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. Funeral services will held at 11 a.m., Friday, May 17 at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Centerville with the Rev. Jeremy McElvain off
-
John Robert 'Bob' Walker, Jr.
John Robert "Bob" Walker, Jr., 83, of Mystic, passed away Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Mercy Medical Center in Centerville. Bob was born May 10, 1930 in Mystic, the son of John Robert and Jacquetta (Young) Walker, Sr. He graduated from high school in No
- Dale Bennett Dale Bennett, 58, of Centerville, passed away Sunday, May 12, 2013 at his residence. Funeral services are pending at Lange Funeral Home and Crematory in Centerville.
-
Betty D. Matelski
Betty D. Matelski, 85, of Davenport, passed away Wed-nesday, May 8, 2013 at Genesis East inDavenport. Services in celebration of her life were held at 5:15 p.m. Monday, May 13 at Weerts Funeral Home, Kimberly at Jersey Ridge Road in Davenport, where
- John Robert 'Bob' Walker Jr. John Robert "Bob" Walker Jr., 83, of Mystic, passed away Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Mercy Medical Center in Centerville. Funeral services will be held 11:30 Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at Lange Funeral Home and Crematory in Centerville. Burial will follo
- Joann Harwood Joann Harwood, 83, of Unionville, Mo., passed away Friday, May 10, 2013 at the Putnam County Memorial Hospital in Unionville, Mo. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 14 at the Midway Baptist Church in Unionville, Mo. with Pastor
-
Donald L. Kirby
Donald L. Kirby, 80, of Moulton, died Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at the Bloomfield Care Center in Bloomfield. He was born the son of Erca and Bessie (Adams) Kirby on Nov. 23, 1932 near Moulton. He graduated from the Moulton Community High Schools in 1952.
-
Harold 'Gene' Fowler
Harold "Gene" Fowler, 75, of Centerville, passed away Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at Centerville Nursing and Rehab Center in Centerville. He was born the son of Harold W. and Margaret (Matheson) Fowler on May 28, 1937 in Centerville. He graduated from the C
-
Dorothy V. Gordon
Dorothy V. Gordon, 89, of Mason City, passed away peacefully, Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at Heritage Care Center. A celebration of life was held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 4 at Trinity Lutheran Church, 213 N. Pennsylvania Ave. with Pastor Kathy Graves offic
- Donald L. Kirby Donald L. Kirby, 80, of Moulton, passed away Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at the Bloomfield Care Center in Bloomfield. Services have been entrusted to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Moulton.
- Harold Eugene Fowler Harold Eugene Fowler, 75, of Centerville, passed away Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at Centerville Nursing and Rehab in Centerville. Services have been entrusted to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Centerville.
-
Doyle M. Stevens
Doyle Stevens passed away peacefully Sat. May 4, 2013 to be with the Lord. Doyle was born to Henry and Anna (Walls) Stevens on Feb. 12, 1932, in Coatsville, Mo. He attended Moulton High School and soon after joined the Army, serving in Korea 1950-19
-
Roger P. Hamilton
Roger P. Hamilton, 54, formerly of Rockford, Ill., passed away April 30, 2013 in Iowa City, surrounded by his family. Born on June 6, 1958 in Rockford, Ill., he was the son of Percy and Gladys (White) Hamilton. An avid Green Bay Packers fan, Roger lo
- Charles L. Hungate Charles L. Hungate, 48 of Centerville, passed away Friday, May 3, 2013 at Mercy Medical Center in Centerville. Charles has been cremated and a family celebration of life service will be held at a later date. A memorial has been established to the Cha
- More Obituaries Headlines
